The Appenzeller Weissstickerei (whitework of Appenzell) evolved from three related craft industries: tapestry, cotton spinnery and chain stitch embroidery.
Handkerchiefs, collars, christening robes and scarfes were worked and attracted wide interest in France and the United States.
The Appenzeller Weissstickerei industry reached its peak in the fifties of the nineteenth century. Afterwards, machine embroidery largely repressed hand embroidery. But filigree work (e.g. for costume making) was (and is) still done by hand. However, there are only few hand embroidery artists today practicing this art.
You can find more information about this specific whitework tradition on appenzell.info.
(text source: Tourismus Appenzell)
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